We here at The Professor Is In are pleased to introduce our newest program: Art of the Academic Article
Art of the Academic Article is an online course designed to get you from zero to a complete draft of an academic article in 10 weeks.
Led by Dr. Jane Jones of Up In Consulting and Kel Weinhold, the course breaks down not just the parts of an academic article, and how to organize and write them, but also how to evaluate and target the optimal journals for your work.
This brand new course launches MONDAY April 1st, and registration for the first cohort is open, closing TOMORROW March 30. Best of all, your access to the content does not expire, ever.
Curious to know more? Watch a recording of Jane and Kel’s recent webinar for a preview of Art of the Article content.
Here is the story of how Art of the Article came to be. Kel Weinhold came on board at TPII as the Interview Intervention coach. As she worked, year after year, with anxious job candidates, she came to recognize the crushing Imposter Syndrome that was epidemic among this population. As a result, she created Unstuck: The Art of Productivity. Which is technically about productivity and getting your writing done for jobs and tenure, but is actually about (shhhh!) reclaiming your personal autonomy vis-a-vis an abusive system.
Unstuck: The Art of Productivity (which is still running, to great acclaim!) brought Kel into contact with hundreds of academics learning to overcome their writers block and get that “shitty first draft” of an article written in twelve weeks.
But lo, as Kel worked with them, she came to understand that a lot of clients actually didn’t know what an “article” actually is, or entails!
Things the Unstuck clients didn’t know included: how long should an article be? What elements are always included? How is one optimally organized? What are conventions for your particular field? How do you choose a target journal? How much time should I budget for each part? What are some tricks to doing some of the predictable basic parts like the methods section or lit review, or intro, or conclusion?
Kel realized there was a great need out there in academia-land for some instructions. So, she contacted Dr. Jane Jones of Up In Consulting, and together they made Art of the Article. The program gives you 10 weeks of posts and models and coaching videos to walk you step by step through the conceptualization and execution of an academic article. Even if the article you’re working on is far from your first, the program is still helpful in helping you stay focused, and avoid unproductive writing tangents.
To clarify: What’s the difference between Art of the Academic Article and Unstuck, you ask? Very good question. They are made to be synergistic. You can absolutely do both.
Unstuck helps you identify and overcome barriers to all of your writing, and produce a messy first draft of a piece you want to work on by the end of the program. Art of the Academic Article , meanwhile, shows you exactly WHAT that article is supposed to look like: what an article must include, how it should be organized, and where it should be placed.
Also below, advice on how to ask your department to pay for your registration. Yes, it’s true: Departments will sometimes cover the costs for their faculty and graduate students to participate in programs like these
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How To Get Your Department to Pay for the Course(s)
Your department might pay for your enrollment in this course, and the only you will find out is to ask. Don’t be afraid. Department heads get requests for funding all of the time. There is nothing shameful about it. In fact, learning how to ask is great practice for the rest of your career.
The best way to loosen the departmental purse strings is to show the money is going to solve a problem the department head considers worth solving.
So what problem does the course solve?
- Maybe your department is worried about your pace of publication.
- Maybe your department is focused on raising its profile.
- Maybe your department has a stated desire to support underrepresented faculty.
You also have to show the stakes of not solving the problem.
- You may not progress to tenure
- The department’s output might lag.
- You and the department might miss out on involvement in high profile projects and collaborations.
- You may miss out on funding opportunities.
Stating the problem and stakes is not enough. You also have to show why this particular thing you are asking to be funded will solve the problem.
- Why this course?
- Why these people?
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Here is an example email that you can use to approach your dean, department head or PI to make the request that the course be funded.
NOTE: PLEASE! DO NOT USE THESE EXAMPLES VERBATIM! WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF READERS AND CLIENTS, MANY IN THE SAME DEPARTMENTS. REPHRASE THE MODELS BELOW IN YOUR OWN WORDS!
Dear <administrator>
I have an opportunity to enroll in a program designed for academics to produce a full draft of journal article in 10 weeks and I am requesting departmental support. The course is being offered by The Professor is In and Up In Consulting, two career services organizations with well-documented success in assisting academics in all phases of their careers.
The benefit of The Art of the Academic Article, over other programs, is not only the extensive experience of the two coaches offering guidance but also the ongoing access to the online material. I will be able to use the course material for not just this article, but all future ones as well.
As we have discussed, I have XX articles in progress that are necessary/would improve my third year review/tenure review/post doc production/chances of success on the job market. This course would assure that I produce xx articles in the next year. It also increases my chances of publication in the mostly highly ranked journals because it includes instruction on positioning both in terms of discipline and journal rank.
OR
As we have discussed, one of the critical components of raising the profile of our department is to increase faculty publications and the quality of those publications. This course would assure that I produce xx articles in the next year. It also increases my chances of publication in the mostly highly ranked journals because it includes instruction on positioning both in terms of discipline and journal rank.
It is no secret that balancing research, service and teaching is a challenge for all junior faculty here at xx. With this course, I will have the resources to achieve the balance required for success. With your support, I will be able to avoid common problems like false starts, writer’s block, and perfectionism, while assuring I choose the best journals to target, and submit a draft to a strong journal in an efficient time frame.
The next session of the course starts April 1st. Please let me know if you are willing to support this effort and I will purchase and submit the receipt for reimbursement/contact accounting to complete the registration/ xxx
Will another section of the Art of the Article start the first Monday of December? The site currently says September. Hoping to start the program in December if possible. Thank you!
yes it will!